Motley Arrangement
by tnplh
Summary: Emma's new customer buys a flower a day, and while she's not exactly staying in business with his visits, she doesn't exactly mind.


The early mornings were quiet. Always time she could use to start on the day's orders or prep for any upcoming weekend events. She really didn't need to bother opening; no one ever stopped in to buy flowers at 8AM, but she figured as long as she was there, why not? Occasionally there would be someone who needed to pick up a plant or bouquet on their way to work, and she'd put her arrangement on pause in order to ring up the sale or help them make a selection.

This morning when the bells on the door chimed at 8:15, she looked up, smile in place, ready to greet the customer. Most of the time early morning shoppers were in a hurry, needing to get business taken care of quickly before speeding off to work. This man seemed in no great rush.

"Can I help you with anything?"

"Saw through the window how beautiful it was inside the shop. Decided to stop in and get a better look."

She had the distinct feeling he might not just be talking about the flowers.

He opened a cooler and took out a single stem of amaryllis, its deep red color only accenting the blue of his eyes when he held it up to her at the register.

"Just one? You know, people usually buy these things in groups."

"Maybe I'm just looking for an excuse to come back in tomorrow?"

She rolled her eyes a little at his implication, but he just smiled, taking his flower in hand and making his way out the door without another word. As she went back to her work, thoughts of his dark, disheveled hair and dazzling smile kept distracting her throughout the day.

When she flipped the sign over to open and unlocked the door the next morning, she only briefly wondered if she'd be seeing the early morning customer again. He had probably been joking, and whomever the flower was for couldn't possibly want to receive amaryllis one stem at a time. She got to work on her orders, and dismissed the thought of him.

But when the door chimed again at 8:15, she knew who she'd see when she looked up.

"The bloom was lonely. It definitely needs a partner."

"The amaryllis are right where they were yesterday. You can just grab a few more."

He acted as though he didn't even hear her and headed toward the coolers, again perusing the selection. When he finally opened a door and pulled out a pale pink dahlia she had to interject.

"That won't even look right with the amaryllis. Don't you want your girlfriend to be happy with this?"

She reached out, ready to snatch the dahlia from his hand, but he twisted to the side, avoiding her grasp.

"Ah, ah, ah. Is that anyway to treat a customer?"

She sighed, resigning herself with the thought that at least she didn't have to see the two flowers together, and rang him up.

As he left she realized he hadn't denied they were for a girlfriend, and inwardly chastised him for his flirtation.

The third day, she didn't even acknowledge him as he walked through the door. But when he plunked down the massive purple stem, she had to comment.

"A hydrangea, really?"

"When there's a world of beautiful blossoms out there, why confine yourself to just one, love?

He continued, every day. And every day it was another flower. Just one. Helleborus. A peony. A Snow White. An orchid. He worked his way through the roses for a week, and she thought just maybe the bouquet would have a chance.

It was then that she teased him.

"Did your girlfriend complain about having a Frankenstein's monster of a vase? Everything else must have died and the roses you've been buying must look pretty in there together."

She felt he was just being contrary when he put the rose back, carefully choosing a thistle instead.

"I'll have you know my best girl has had quite a bit to say about this bouquet. But I maintain, why choose just one when you have so many to choose from?"

She had to cede his point, not that she would tell him. Whenever she was asked by an undecided customer, "what's your favorite?" she was never able to answer. They all were.

"Killian, by the way."

"Excuse me?"

"My name's Killian, in case you're wondering."

"I wasn't really." She had been. Their conversations hadn't been wide ranging, mainly sticking to flowers. But occasionally he would ask about whatever event she was building an arrangement for, and based on his reactions she wanted to know more. If he didn't have a girlfriend, she might have even opened up and let him dig deeper.

"And doesn't your best customer get to know your name?"

She laughed. "I'm not exactly staying in business with your one visit a day, you know."

"But you'd miss me if I stopped visiting, admit it."

She wouldn't, but he had at least earned her name. "Emma. It's Emma Swan."

He smiled, taking his thistle and headed toward the door.

"Until tomorrow then, Swan."

After he left she went back to building a wedding centerpiece, but thinking about Killian. He had a name now. It made him even more real. In a way she felt like she knew him, and she wanted to know more.

Owning a flower shop you got to see into people's lives, but they were only temporary views. People who hired you to do their wedding flowers didn't save you a seat at the table. Putting together a bouquet for a new mom didn't earn you a trip to see the baby. A spray for a funeral didn't mean you could mourn the passing of a loved one.

Killian's daily visits had given her something to look forward to, and someone she could see being a friend. She wanted to know what he did. What his passions were. Why it was when she teased him about his girlfriend, he turned a deep shade of pink and scratched behind his ear, before pulling out an innuendo and changing the subject. For all of his flirtation, she knew that it was a mask, and if she lowered hers, he might remove his.

So day after day, she continued to sell him his flower. Day after day, she felt she knew him just a little bit more.

His careful choosing made her more selective in her ordering. Lilies made way for Ixora. Globe amaranth in addition to the daffodils. Bee balm with the ranunculus. And every day she tried to guess what he'd pick as she watched him take in the growing choices.

"Your selection has quite expanded, Swan. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were doing it for me."

"You wish. There's a new shop open down the street, and I have to compete with what they're offering. I'm surprised you haven't stopped in."

"Never love, I'm quite loyal you'll find."

There was no lie in his statement. Despite his morning flirtation with her, whomever he had at home was a lucky woman.

Everyday after he left the shop, she felt a little bit lighter from having seen him, and a little sad that it would be a full day before she would again.

As it happened, one part of the business would always be made up of what she considered arrangements of apology. Lovers, boyfriends, husbands, friends who had messed up, and were buying their way back in to someone's good graces. She could tell the degree of their transgression by the size of the order.

Today's was a behemoth. And her delivery boy wouldn't be out of school for several hours, but the man was willing to pay a hefty sum to get it delivered as soon as possible. Enough to make it worth Emma's while to shut down the shop while she ran it down the street.

Upon entering the reception, she was greeted by a friendly, if not slightly overbearing woman.

"Let me guess, Belle Gold?"

"Yes. Her husband said I needed to make sure I saw her get them."

The woman shook her head as she picked up the phone. She clearly had thoughts about the man in question.

"Belle, you've got flowers out here. I suggest you come get them before this poor girl here drops them."

Emma nodded in thanks, and shifted her attention to the lobby's artwork, so as not to make the woman uncomfortable with her presence while she waited.

"What'd Robert do this time?"

She turned when she heard the receptionist ask the question, and saw the petite woman coming toward her to take the flowers off her hands.

"More of the same, Granny. He thinks he's going to buy his way back this time, but no." She sniffed the roses as she juggled the vase. "They're too pretty to throw out though. You did really beautiful work. Thank you." She nodded toward Emma. "Granny, can you put these with Kilian's at least? That way someone can enjoy them."

Emma's heart stopped when she heard the words. She looked over toward the woman's desk, and saw on the lower counter a bouquet, her bouquet, of mismatched flowers. Gladiolus, chrysanthemum, gentian, and so many more, in one big hodgepodge.

"Oh don't look at that," the woman said, as though she were embarrassed to have it seen next to the real arrangement. "One of the men here brings me a different flower every morning and I just throw them in water until they die." Emma could tell, though, by her expression, they meant more than her words indicated.

She tried to hide her smile as she said goodbye and left the women to discuss the husband's latest transgression, but barely made it into the elevator before the grin spread from ear to ear. That's why there was the momentary hesitation every time the girlfriend was mentioned. And the daily stops? Those were just to see her.

She wanted to take her time getting back to the shop, fueled with this new information. It had been so long since she had felt like her future held anything more than being a fly on the wall for other people's lives. All of the sudden, she felt like there could be more.

The next morning, at 8:15 when the doorbell rang again, she watched as Killian made his daily rounds through the shop to carefully choose what today's flower would be. When he finally made his way up to the register with an iris, she waved him away as he pulled out cash to pay.

"On the house today for my best customer."

He raised an eyebrow at her statement. "You said it yourself, Swan. You're not staying open based on my purchases. How about you admit that I'm at least your favorite customer."

She just shrugged.

He wasn't going to leave it alone, which was exactly as she intended.

"Well, I still need to repay you somehow. Surely there's something I can do?" He'd leaned on the counter, as though he were ready for her to put up a fight.

She leaned over the counter, challenging him with one look.

"How about you take me to dinner?"

The next morning when the bell on the door rang at 8:15, Emma didn't care that she was opening the shop a bit late. The only morning customer who mattered had her hand in his, and followed at her heels through the door. She quickly got to work setting up for her day's arrangements leaving Killian to peruse the coolers on his own.

But today, when he walked up to the register, he had two flowers in hand.

"These flowers have always been for you, love. But I don't want to disappoint Granny."

"No, I imagine not."

He placed a kiss on her cheek before leaving through the door, and Emma started her order with a smile.

Every morning, she looked at her motley assortment of flowers as they grew and changed, she was sure of one thing. Yes, there was a world of choice out there, but she knew she'd be happy with just one.


End file.
